Republican US Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez pays 2005 fee

QUINCY (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez says he has paid an appraiser a $1,000 fee for an appraisal on his Cohasset home eight years ago, while saying he doesn’t remember the bill.

Gomez said Thursday he paid the fee after The Boston Globe reported that the appraiser had filed a claim against Gomez in small claims court.

The appraiser said Gomez hired him in 2005 to help determine how much he could deduct from his federal tax return in exchange for agreeing not to make alterations on the facade of the historic home. Gomez reportedly declined to pay the fee after receiving a more generous evaluation from another appraiser.

Democrats have criticized the $281,000 tax break, saying local bylaws already prevented Gomez from changing the facade of the house.